Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

From speaking with principals and school leaders, to say they are disappointed would be one of the greatest understatements. It is a sentiment also expressed by representative groups and parents. I note that the Minister, Deputy Foley, has left the Chamber. That Minister was told, heard and ignored what was being outlined in detail by school leaders.

A few months ago, principals from across the country again came to Leinster House to detail the extraordinary pressure schools are under. Seven out of 10 primary schools had run a deficit in the previous 12 months. Heating costs were up by more than 37% and electricity costs by more than 35%. While schools struggle to keep the lights on and pay their monthly bills, this Government chose to allocate €9 million to smartphone pouches when its own document clearly states an additional €10 million in capitation. Tell me without telling me where your priorities lie. Clearly, they are not in ensuring that schools are properly funded or no longer reliant on the voluntary contributions of hard-pressed parents. When that decision to allocate €9 million for mobile phone pouches was made, the Government chose not to fund 8,881 places on a school bus for mainstream children, 779 places on transport for children with special educational needs, 220 SNAs or 120 special education teachers.

All the while, the Government introduced therapists in schools on a pilot basis. There is now an allocation of taxpayers' money to this scheme with no clear plan as to how it will operate aside from it being centrally controlled. Are we to expect teachers and secretaries to swipe these pouches across checkout-style mechanisms to open them while queues of students form around the corner? To say it is tone deaf is to barely scratch the surface. The Government’s budget allocation for education this year pales into insignificance compared with what the measures outlined in Sinn Féin’s budget could achieve: a 20% increase in capitation for primary and post-primary schools; more than 1,500 SETs; more than 1,850 SNAs; and something that is not even mentioned in the Government’s budget or speeches, namely, significantly increased funding for Irish-medium education.

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